On Fri, 3 Mar 2006 00:56:21 +0000, you wrote:
I don't think it's even remotely correct to state that the article comprises 35% of all our coverage of Powell. Besides the Scout movement itself, Baden-Powell is most famous in Britain for his masterly defense of Mafeking, a garrison which, outnumbered 4:1, he held against the Boers for over 200 days with the help of a home made howitzer, a great quantity of non-existent barbed wire, some fake landmines and a biscuit tin. And if you think that sounds like something out of Black Adder, maybe you'll understand the brilliance of the tactician. The Boers gave up because they concluded that the garrison was too heavily defended.
Tony, I know this. I am both English and a former Scout :-)
But on a quick and dirty word count the total in BP and BP sexual orientation devoted to this speculation is about the same as the total in BP on scouting and military career. It seems excessive given that these are, after all, only two of the many, many books written on BP - and it is still speculation. What's in the BP article itself looks to me to be sufficient. Guy (JzG)